Another entry is my ongoing Favourite Tracks series.

The Weakerthans are one of those quintessentially Canadian bands. Like The Tragically Hip, they can sing about mundane things like garage sales, cats, or, in this case, curling. They can make anything interesting thanks to frontman John K. Sampson’s phenomenal writing ability, and their solid musicality. And, to be sure, I’ve been a fan of The Weakerthans for a long time and over the years, slowly, all the skeptics seem to be disappearing. If you aren’t a fan of The Weakerthans yet, give it a few years.

It’s hard to pick a favourite track, but here’s one, of many, that I love.

Tournament of Hearts

Two things that I love, music and ghosts, a match made in heaven.

Weighty Ghost

Weighty Ghost by Halifax’s Wintersleep is quite possibly the best song ever. I mean, really, listen to it. First of all, it’s got a really great beat to it, driven almost entirely by a kind of handclapped rhythm, an acoustic guitar, and the powerful yet fragile voice of frontman Paul Murphy. It’s a truly beautiful piece of music. And second, it’s got a great story to it. In my opinion it’s our story, the modern plight of a kind of world without direction, a body without a soul—a soul without a body. To put down a particularly good pun for y’all: it’s haunting.

Someday I’d like to write an article about the high pace of technological advancement in the 21st century. For now, I’d just like to share this little gem with you:

On April 1st of this year I pulled off a wonderful prank which fooled the large majority of my readership, and brought tons of readers I didn’t even know I had out of the woodwork. For the whole month, it’s been the most-read article. It hasn’t been the first time I’ve pulled a prank online. Back in first year of this little site I wrote about how I’d decided to quit school—I was at the University of Waterloo at the time—and join the Army. I had already signed up and was shipping out for Basic Training shortly. That prank, too, caused a spike of interest in my site, followed by a firestorm of criticism, some support, and lots and lots of people pleading with me to change my mind.

I love me a good prank.

And so, since there’s unfortunately no May Fool’s Day I thought I would dig up a couple of pranks from around the web. The first one is actually a failed prank, but it’s still hilarious. The reaction of the guy being interviewed is priceless.

The next clip is from a Japanese game show, of course. The man is led to believe he’s at a job interview—which goes terribly wrong when he finds himself under sniper fire.

The next two are from Just for Laughs Gags, a Canadian show that pulls off some of the best pranks ever. The second of these two videos is quite possibly the best prank, ever.

Here’s another entry in my Favourite Tracks series.

I saw The New Pornographers live about five or six years ago. They were one of those bands that I had heard of but never heard. They were opening for Belle & Sebastian down at The Docks, when it was still called The Docks, on night I remember as being absolutely freezing, among other things. I remember not being hugely impressed by The New Pornographers but after having spent something like two hours in the freezing cold, lined up to get a good place to stand to see the main act, I think I was still thawing out.

“We’re just like you,” one of the band members said in between songs, “We’re all here to see Belle & Sebastian!” I thought it was a hilarious remark, but if I had known then what I know now, I would’ve been there to see The New Pornographers, too.

Adventures in Solitude

Adventures in Solitude just feels right, don’t you agree? A.C. Newman singing softly with Neko Case and Kathryn Calder. The beautiful back-and-forth. The gentle guitars. The building swell that comes like the tide and then breaks into an ocean of a chorus. It’s incredible even if my attempt to describe it is very poor. And, it’s summer music, don’t you think? It’s a breath of fresh air; it’s sunlight. Enjoy.

My brother-in-law Mark introduced this video at a family get-together this weekend. It had us in absolute stitches; I had to share.

I came to know Belle & Sebastian a few years before their breakthrough release, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, came out in North America. I remember listening to an Internet radio station looking for some new music with Fox in the Snow came on. I must’ve stopped and thought, “What is this?” because at some point, on a day later, I bought a copy of If You’re Feeling Sinister. And then the band’s complete back catalog.

Fox in the Snow

Fox in the Snow is everything that I love about Belle & Sebastian, and music in general. It’s a beautifully written story punctuated with wonderfully simple and concise music. I like the way that the song builds upon itself, musically, yet it maintains that stripped down feeling of a very simple folk song. And if Belle & Sebastian’s musical chops are sufficiently demonstrated on a song like Fox in the Snow, have a listen to some of their other stuff. Their more recent releases, which are decidedly more upbeat and produced, are a departure from tracks like Fox in the Snow but still showcase a wonderfully talented band.

Belle & Sebastian are possibly my favourite band, so choosing a track was difficult but since Fox in the Snow was the first one I heard it holds a certain sentimental value, too. Check it out.